Paul Merson believes England manager Thomas Tuchel has a slight headache in midfield after Jude Bellingham’s excellent performance in a deeper role in the 2-0 win over Panama.
Bellingham lined up alongside Elliot Anderson and had a goal and an assist in a dynamic midfield display, leaving Tuchel with plenty to think about ahead of the Three Lions’ last 32 clash with DR Congo on Wednesday.
But with Declan Rice expected to return to England’s starting line-up, Merson believes Tuchel faces a dilemma over how to build his midfield ahead of the knockout stages.
Read former England international Merson’s thoughts in full…
Will Tuchel maintain a deeper role for Bellingham?
Bellingham in action for England against Panama
Thomas Tuchel now has a serious problem after Jude Bellingham’s performance in a deeper role against Panama.
I’ve been very impressed with Bellingham, but that’s where Declan Rice plays and if he fits, he plays.
But the upside for England, in which Bellingham plays this role, is that it is much more difficult for the opposition to catch him when he comes from deep.
Morgan Rogers really competed for the No. 10 role. He barely touched the ball, just as Bellingham struggled to strike against Ghana, who were also sitting deep in defence.
This part of the field is very crowded, but being a deeper midfielder means you can get past opponents more easily and make them much harder to catch.
Bellingham ranks first among England players in a variety of key indicators
So what does Tuchel do? Rice plays. For me there is no doubt about this.
We need to look at the big picture. No disrespect to Panama, but when we face the bigger teams you’ll need Rice.
Could you merge Bellingham with Rice? This may be tough for Elliot Anderson, but I think the problem is what to do at position 10? Rodgers didn’t have the best game of his life against Panama, but Bellingham wasn’t at his best against Ghana either.
We need to decide how we are going to get the ball to those playing in position 10 so they can influence the game.
“England need to figure out how to get the ball to Bellingham.”
Jude Bellingham played a deeper role for England against Panama.
I wasn’t surprised by Bellingham’s performance in this deeper role.
He’s a top player. He wants to be on top and participate in everything. He plays the game like an enthusiastic schoolboy.
This reminds me of Wayne Rooney. They want the ball and they want to have an impact all over the field.
Bellingham has a better chance of getting the ball in the position he played against Panama rather than the position he played in against Ghana.
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Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett reflects on England’s 2-0 World Cup win over Panama
The key for England is to try to get the ball to whoever plays in the number 8 and number 10 positions.
Against Ghana, Bellingham showed his best all the time, but no one gave him the ball.
I’m not comparing Bellingham to Lionel Messi, but if you look at Messi, Argentina will give him the ball whenever they can. They pass him in tight spaces and Bellingham isn’t afraid to do the same, but England need to build trust to be able to give it to him when they can.
It will be difficult for Bellingham to return to position 10 if Tuchel decides to do so. DR Congo will also sit deep, with 10 players behind the ball.
“England has not yet reached its peak”
Harry Kane and Bellingham scored as England finally disposed of Panama to top their group at the World Cup.
Every time England players are in possession of the ball, they are surrounded by two or even three defenders.
We move the ball quickly to pass it to the wide players, but they double up every time.
Marcus Rashford had a lot of possession in the first half against Panama but didn’t do much. We all urged him to start before Anthony Gordon, but the end result was not there.
Bukayo Saka looks like he’s in a bit of trouble, but I think he needs to play.
Maybe he’s being a little picky, we don’t really know, but I just can’t see a world where Saka doesn’t feature for England in big games as we progress in this tournament.
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Kaveh Solekol believes Harry Kane should be a contender for the coveted Ballon d’Or after becoming England’s top scorer at the World Cup following an impressive season with Bayern Munich.
This is where the tournament begins. You don’t have to reach your peak yet.
I like the fact that England are not relying on one player in this tournament. Harry Kane achieved his goals, the defense against Ghana was fine and Jude Bellingham stepped up against Panama.
This is what you need. We can’t just keep waiting for Kane to complete his task.
We have four strikers and I think it’s good that none of them have been successful. They have yet to really get going, but if that changes as we get to the knockout stages, it can only be a positive for Tuchel.
The forwards have scored six out of 10 at the moment, so if they can move up a few points England have a good chance of going quite far. They might just become match winners as we get closer to this tournament.
‘England will have to improve but they have a chance at the World Cup’
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Thomas Tuchel reflects on England’s 2-0 win over Panama that sealed their place in the World Cup knockout stages as group winners
England will have to do better.
There is something about improvement when you play against better teams, but the problem is that you just can’t turn it on and off like a tap.
You have to keep building and getting better match by match. This is what I want to see now, starting with DR Congo.
I think they scored seven out of ten compared to what I saw in the group stage. We did what we had to do against Croatia, Ghana and Panama. We’ll need more, but this is a good start.
France is moving forward phenomenally, Spain is Spain, but I don’t think they will blow you away. They keep you in the game. I really liked Colombia when I watched the match against Portugal. They played very fast and energetic and know the conditions well.
In my opinion, this is a very open World Cup. Many teams have players who can hurt you at any time. If you have a good day, you have a chance, and that’s what I like about the World Cup.
No matter what happens, you have to beat some really good teams to win.
There is still something to play for in England. Yes, we have done a reality check with regard to Ghana and – I think too – with respect to Panama. This is a cause for concern.
But as long as we participate in this tournament, we have a chance to win it. It’s time to replicate what we saw against Croatia – and if we do that, we have a chance. This is the hope that really gets to you.